WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2013
Volume 12 Issue 177
Santa Monica Daily Press
LIVING THE GOOD LIFE AT OUR EXPENSE SEE PAGE 12
Bulger jury selection unlike other mob cases
We have you covered
THE CRIME ISSUE
Crime down in Santa Monica SMPD credits ‘all hands on deck’ policy; greatest drop in assaults BY ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Daily Press Staff Writer
DOWNTOWN Crime in Santa Monica is down 9 percent over this time last year, a drop police attribute to an “all hands on
deck” policy that aims to make police a visible deterrent against criminals, officials say. Violent and property-related crimes dropped from 1,549 between Jan. 1 and June 4, 2012 to 1,416 over the same time period this year.
BY DENISE LAVOIE BOSTON The machi-
SEE JURY PAGE 8
Affordable housing tax may be on the horizon BY ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Daily Press Staff Writer
bers of an aspiring model who was strangled to death in her Santa Monica apartment erupted in tears and screams on Tuesday when a jury acquitted a woman
CITY HALL City officials may come to voters as soon as 2014 with a measure to create a local source of funds to pay for affordable housing production in Santa Monica in an attempt to fill the gap left by the loss of redevelopment money. Instead of a new tax, city officials could also join with those from other cities in asking Los Angeles County to release tax revenue that would have flowed to redevelopment agencies before Feb. 1 2012, the day the agencies died at the hand of the legislature, governor and courts. The pronouncement came last week from Andy Agle, director of the Housing and Economic Development Department, in a budget report to the City Council. Agle and his department have been struggling to protect affordable housing developments already being built from the clutching hands of the state Department of Finance, but that does little to replace the roughly $20 million in revenue from the former Redevelopment Agency that was largely used to build apartments for low-income individuals and families. City Hall still has laws on the books that
SEE VERDICT PAGE 11
SEE HOUSING PAGE 10
CASH IN
Photo courtesy Susan Bordelon Photography Artist Carl Lozada browses artwork up for auction at the seventh annual ART for CLARE, a fundraiser held Sunday at Bergamot Station. Lozada also contributed several pieces to the show. ART for CLARE grossed over $50,000 to support CLARE’s work with those struggling with alcohol and drug addiction. Roughly 300 people attended the auction.
Anger follows acquittal in death of aspiring model BY LINDA DEUTSCH AP Special Correspondent
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Time to put money where your mouth is
AP Legal Affairs Writer
nations of choosing a jury for the longawaited trial of reputed Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger may end up being most notable for how routine they appear despite the notoriety of the case BULGER and the outsized tales of the man at its center. Unlike some other high-profile organized crime trials, jurors in the Bulger case won’t be sequestered and their identities will be revealed after the verdict is announced. Perhaps the biggest challenge will be finding 18 people who can spend the next four months hearing testimony about a long list of allegations against Bulger, including charges that he played a role in killing 19 people. Bulger, the former leader of the Winter Hill Gang, is now 83 years old. Three of his former cronies began cooperating with the government after authorities revealed that Bulger had been a longtime FBI informant. All three — former hitman John Martorano, former partner Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi and former aide Kevin Weeks — are expected to be the prosecution’s star witnesses against Bulger. The gang disintegrated in the years after Bulger fled Boston in 1994. Bulger was one of the nation’s most wanted fugitives for more than 16 years until he was captured in Santa Monica, Calif., in 2011. In some high-profile mob cases, including John Gotti’s 1992 racketeering trial, jurors have been sequestered out of fear they could be intimidated or threatened by the
The greatest drop came in aggravated assaults, which fell by 26 percent from 76 last year to 56 this year, said Sgt. Richard Lewis, spokesperson for the Santa Monica
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Westside OUT AND ABOUT IN SANTA MONICA
Wednesday, June 5, 2013 Thursday, June 6, 2013 Animal planet Ocean Park Branch Library 2601 Main St., 3:15 p.m. — 4:15 p.m. Join animal lovers for an afternoon of fun and learning about how you can help make a difference in the life of an animal. Employees at the Santa Monica Animal Shelter will be on hand to discuss their work. They’ll have some special guests with them as well. This event is part of the Book to Action Series during the month of June at the Ocean Park Branch Library. For more information call (310) 458-8683. Farm fresh FIG 101 Wilshire Blvd., 5 p.m. — 6 p.m. Available for one night only, Chef Ray Garcia combines specialty produce from a different featured farm with his inventive style. This night’s farm is McGrath Family Farm. Other dinners are scheduled for July, August and October. For more information call (310) 319-3111 or visit www.figsantamonica.com/ Movie time Fairview Branch Library 2101 Ocean Park Blvd., 7 p.m. — 9 p.m. Check out a free screening of the film “Intouchables.” The plot: After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caretaker. For more information call (310) 458-8598.
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Planning Commission meeting City Hall, City Council Chambers 1685 Main St., 7 p.m. The Planning Commission will meet to discuss Santa Monica’s transportation demand management program, the goal of which is to get employees out of their cars and onto buses, bikes or carpool. For more information visit www.smgov.net/ and search for the Planning Commission.
Songs of the season Main Library, MLK Auditorium 601 Santa Monica Blvd., 11 a.m. It’s the return of the Lyric Chorus, a 20-plus member women’s group that will put you in the mood for summer with their performance of songs of the season and Broadway tunes. The Lyric Chorus was founded in the 1940s as Santa Monica Lyric Chorus and became part of Emeritus College when Santa Monica College began its Emeritus College program. This program is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and on a first arrival basis. For more information, call the Santa Monica Public Library at (310) 458-8600 or visit smpl.org. Finding the poet in you Camera Obscura 1450 Ocean Ave., 6 p.m. — 8 p.m. Aimed especially at the non-English majors among us, this two-part workshop will review some of the major historical concepts of poetry, then take us forward to the most interesting kinds of poetry being produced today. Cost: $30 for two sessions. Call (310) 458-2239 to make sure there’s room. Hercules gone mad Miles Memorial Playhouse 1130 Lincoln Blvd., 8 p.m. Not Man Apart, the Los Angelesbased physical theatre ensemble since 2004, presents John Farmanesh-Bocca’s adaptation of Roman philosopher and playwright Seneca the Younger’s tragedy “Hercules Furens” (The Madness of Hercules). The production portrays one of the most bitter and grotesque legends of this half-mortal son of the God Jupiter: Hercules’ maddened slaughter of his own innocent wife and children. Tickets: $25. For more information visit www.NotManApart.com. The performance runs through June 23.
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COMMUNITY BRIEFS DOWNTOWN
Scouts reach Eagle rank Four Santa Monica teens this Sunday will be awarded the highest rank in the Boy Scouts. Jake Alfred Erlandson, Bret K. Hart, Matthew Lawrence Hawkins, and Peter Myung-Won Pak will be honored with the rank of Eagle Scout at the Troop 2 Eagle Court of Honor to be held at Camp Josepho. Erlandson is a senior at New Roads High School; Hart (a senior), Photo courtesy Ken Sleeper Hawkins, and Pak (both juniors) are stu- CONGRATS: Troop 2 Eagle Scout candidates dents at Santa Monica High School. (L to R) Jake Alfred Erlandson, Bret K. Hart, The Eagle rank honors exemplary effort, Scoutmaster Dr. Steve Marcy, Peter Myungleadership, and service. Only 2 percent of Won Pak, and Matthew Lawrence Hawkins. Boy Scouts achieve the rank. In addition to demonstrating proficiency in first aid, citizenship, camping, swimming, emergency preparedness, and many other skills, Eagle candidates must coordinate and complete a community service project that demonstrates significant leadership abilities. Each of the scouts being honored led a project to improve quality of life in the community. Erlandson coordinated a landscaping project at Upward Bound House, which provides housing for families in need. Hart built storage additions for risers in the Santa Monica High School choir room. Hawkins created 20 Sukkah kits for the congregants of the Santa Monica Synagogue (a Sukkah is a structure used to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot). Pak built new shelves for 10th Street Preschool. Dozens of Troop 2 scouts contributed to each of these community service projects. Troop 2 is one of the oldest and largest Boy Scout troops in the western United States. In its 65-year history, Troop 2 has graduated 307 Eagle Scouts. — DAILY PRESS
SMC
Photo courtesy Tumblr.com
MAKING BANK: The many faces of 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' star Teresa Giudice, who launched a line of cookbooks and hair products after flipping over a table at a dinner party.
Bad behavior on reality TV is a tested path to fame BY CRISTINA SILVA
USC president to speak to SMC grads
Associated Press
University of Southern California President C.L. Max Nikias will be the commencement speaker at Santa Monica College. SMC’s Commencement Exercises, which will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 11 on Corsair Field, will be webcast live and available on the SMC Alumni webpage. This is the fourth year in a row that SMC’s graduation will be available to families and friends from all over the world who will not be able to attend the ceremony. About 550 graduates are expected to attend the festivities, which will also feature the awarding of the SMC Foundation’s Distinguished Alumni Award to Nathalie Rayes, the U.S. national public relations director of Grupo Salinas, a Mexican conglomerate with $5 billion in annual sales. “We’re honored that Dr. Nikias will be our commencement speaker,” said SMC President Dr. Chui L. Tsang. “Santa Monica College and USC have had close ties for many years, and SMC has long been the number one transfer institution to USC. Thousands of Santa Monica College students have gone on to receive an exceptional baccalaureate education at USC that has launched many outstanding careers.” Nikias became USC’s 11th president in August 2010. He has been at USC since 1991, as a professor, director of national research centers, dean, provost, and now president. He holds faculty appointments in both electrical engineering and the classics. Additionally, he leads special freshman seminars each fall on ancient Athenian democracy and drama. Nikias is recognized internationally for his pioneering research on digital signal processing, digital media systems, and biomedicine. The U.S. Department of Defense has adopted a number of his innovations and patents in sonar, radar, and communication systems. He has authored more than 275 journal articles and conference papers, three textbooks, and eight patents, and has mentored more than 30 Ph.D. and postdoctoral scholars. After the ceremonies, the Alumni Association is hosting a reception on the Quad, with free hors d’oeuvres, beverages, and two photo booths where pictures will be taken and uploaded on the Alumni website. A compilation video will be available on the website about a week after graduation. — DP
PHOENIX Arizona restaurateur Amy Bouzaglo became an instant Internet celebrity last month after demonstrating an impressively short temper on a reality TV show that helps reform struggling businesses. The episode of “Kitchen Nightmares” drew more than a million viewers on YouTube, and Bouzaglo’s vitriolic rants became popular fodder on Twitter and Facebook. So it should surprise no one that her next step was to announce she was shopping around her own reality TV show. These days, head butting, table flipping, belly slapping, hair pulling, smack talking and other behavior generally considered impolite have become a tested strategy for reality TV fame, as seen in the proliferation of such shows as “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,” “Basketball Wives” and the “Real Housewives” franchise. Some reality “stars” have become brands of their own after churning out self-help books, hair products, cocktail lines and flavored water. And the next generation of more shocking, immoral and declassee reality celebrities always seems just one face-slap away. “That’s the easiest kind of reality show to
make and to sell,” said Jason Carbone, a veteran reality TV producer behind shows such as “Road Rules,” “The Bachelor” and “Run’s House.” “It’s something where there are loud characters doing stupid, obnoxious things and you are either laughing with them or at them,” he said. Richard Hatch became America’s favorite villain when he won the first season of the CBS reality series “Survivor” in 2000 by forming alliances and otherwise acting strategically. His behavior likely would be considered tame compared to the current crop of bad boys and girls, said Max Dawson, a reality TV show consultant in Los Angeles. “He didn’t pull weaves out and attack the other contestants on social media while the show was airing,” Dawson said. While cast members once had an entire season to build a character arc, social media now incentivizes villains to immediately act outrageous. “Any moment is not only going to be discussed ad nauseam on Twitter, it’s going to be uploaded on YouTube, it will be turned into an image meme, it will instantly, in most cases, go viral,” Dawson said. Modern television has become so predictably vulgar that a PBS station in New SEE TV PAGE 8
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Opinion Commentary 4
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2013
We have you covered
Room for a View
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
By Urban Sense
Send comments to editor@smdp.com
Send comments to editor@smdp.com
PUBLISHER Ross Furukawa
Residents know best Editor:
Recently, since you excerpted Robert Redford’s observation that there has never been a real master plan for Santa Monica (“Redford not a fan of Santa Monica,” Community Briefs, March 29-30), your readers, some activists, but mostly just citizens active in trying to live their lives in Santa Monica, have nailed the city planning shortcomings of your city. When the person on the street can verbalize the lack of vision and the detrimental effects of your city’s over-development, with so much authenticity and dead-on detailed specifics, the City Council and all the power brokers in Santa Monica should bow their heads in shame. The avalanche of letters to the editor reflects that folks cut through the PR and “progress” smoke screen to enumerate the construction mistakes and their impacts as if they each had a degree or two in city/urban planning and sustainability-green design. The citizens’ letters are a pathetic indictment of your elected officials, public servants and big names.
Kieran Connell Venice, Calif.
Providing clarity on land use issues “It is not possible to live in this age if you don’t have a sense of many contradictory forces.” — REM KOOLHAAS
WELCOME TO OUR NEW COLUMN,
Room for a View. We are a group of longtime Santa Monica residents who are also urbanists, architects, sustainability experts, landscape designers and writers with a long history of service on city commissions and boards. The column idea was originated as a way to provide diverse, logical and informed ideas, which respond to complicated issues and misconceptions about development and the myriad of other local issues that are occurring in Santa Monica today.
OUR COLUMN WILL PROVIDE A PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE ON SANTA MONICA ISSUES BASED ON LOCAL EXPERIENCE AND WISDOM GARNERED FROM OUR CAREERS WORKING IN SANTA MONICA AND OTHER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CITIES AND COMMUNITIES. Our city, any city, changes and change can be both exciting and fearful. This depends in part on how change is managed. Change will and does occur, whether we embrace it or not. The many elements of change are complex in their emotional weight, in their number and in their unintended consequences. Taking a single issue out of the larger context can lead to distorted perspectives and a visceral response that does not reflect the larger truths. Our column will provide a professional
and personal perspective on Santa Monica issues based on local experience and wisdom garnered from our careers working in Santa Monica and other southern California cities and communities. We wish to open a larger conversation than is currently taking place, a conversation that encompasses greater complexity, rather than being single issue oriented. It is a chance for other voices to be heard. From time to time we will invite guest experts in their field to contribute. We welcome the chance to create a civil conversation in our community. Our topics will range from the Downtown Specific Plan to traffic, parking, density and historic and cultural points of view. We will often illustrate our ideas and have informative links. We are excited to open up a new dialogue in our city to all groups and be informative and open minded about the issues we discuss. WE ARE:
• Michael W. Folonis, FAIA, architect, principal of Santa Monica firm Michael W. Folonis Architects, former Architectural Review Board member, currently director of the Los Angeles AIA Board, board member of Santa Monica Conservancy, 41-year Santa Monica resident. • Gwynne Pugh, FAIA, architect and engineer, LEED AP, principal of Santa Monica firm Gwynne Pugh Urban Studio, Inc., former chair of the Planning Commission, currently director of the Los Angeles AIA Board, 37-year Santa Monica resident. • Linda Jassim, writer and editor, landscape designer. Principal of Santa Monica firm Studio J, former chair and current member of the Santa Monica Arts Commission, 37-year Santa Monica resident. • John Zinner, sustainability and green building consultant, LEED fellow, principal at Zinner Consultants, former Planning and Housing commissioner, currently vice president of Santa Monica Conservancy, 35-year Santa Monica resident. • Hank Koning, FAIA, architect, principal of Santa Monica firm Koning Eizenberg Architecture, LEED AP, former chair of the Planning Commission, 32-year Santa Monica Resident.
ross@smdp.com
EDITOR IN CHIEF Kevin Herrera editor@smdp.com
MANAGING EDITOR Daniel Archuleta daniela@smdp.com
STAFF WRITER Ashley Archibald ashley@smdp.com
CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Morgan Genser editor@smdp.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bill Bauer, David Pisarra, Charles Andrews, Jack Neworth, Lloyd Garver, Sarah A. Spitz, Taylor Van Arsdale, Merv Hecht, Cynthia Citron, Michael Ryan, JoAnne Barge
PHOTOGRAPHY INTERN Michael Yanow editor@smdp.com
VICE PRESIDENT– BUSINESS OPERATIONS Rob Schwenker schwenker@smdp.com
JUNIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Justin Harris justin@smdp.com
OPERATIONS COORDINATOR Chelsea Fujitaki chelsea@smdp.com
PRODUCTION MANAGER Darren Ouellette production@smdp.com
CIRCULATION Keith Wyatt Osvaldo Paganini ross@smdp.com
TO ADVERTISE IN THE SANTA MONICA DAILY PRESS IN PRINT OR DIGITAL, PLEASE CALL
To reach the writers of Room with a View e-mail urbansense.sm@gmail.com
310-458-7737 or email schwenker@smdp.com
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The Santa Monica Daily Press is published six days a week, Monday through Saturday. 19,000 daily circulation, 46,450 daily readership. Circulation is audited and verified by Circulation Verification Council, 2013. Serving the City of Santa Monica, and the communities of Venice Beach, Brentwood, West LA. Members of CNPA, AFCP, CVC, Associated Press, IFPA, Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce. PUBLISHED
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OPINIONS EXPRESSED are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Santa Monica Daily Press staff. Guest editorials from residents are encouraged, as are letters to the editor. Letters will be published on a space-available basis. It is our intention to publish all letters we receive, except those that are libelous or are unsigned. Preference will be given to those that are e-mailed to editor@smdp.com. All letters must include the author’s name and telephone number for purposes of verification. All letters and guest editorials are subject to editing for space and content.
Opinion Commentary WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2013
Visit us online at smdp.com
5
The Taxman Jon Coupal
Send comments to editor@smdp.com
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Putting tall buildings on hold City Councilman Kevin McKeown is proposing a freeze on all development in Downtown over 84 feet tall until a more comprehensive land use plan is developed for the area. That could mean at least three major hotels planned for Downtown would be put on the back burner. Supporters of those projects and others say development would help bring architectural diversity and much needed revenue to the city. So, this week’s Q-Line question asks:
Are you in favor of a moratorium or is there a better way to proceed? Contact qline@smdp.com before Friday at 5 p.m. and we’ll print your answers in the weekend edition of the Daily Press. You can also call 310-573-8354.
T. HS 15T
JON COUPAL is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, California’s largest grass-roots taxpayer organization dedicated to the protection of Proposition 13 and the advancement of taxpayers’ rights.
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democracies will commemorate the Normandy invasion that marked the beginning of the end of fascist tyranny in Europe. On the same date, Californians will also celebrate a second liberation, the passage of Proposition 13, which 35 years ago reined in the onerous property tax system and made the passage of new taxes more democratic. After three and a half decades, polls show Proposition 13 is as popular now as it was the day it passed. Still, a divide on the issue remains, with the overwhelming majority of average folks supporting the tax limiting measure and a minority — primarily special interests that benefit from government spending, politicians who are in the pockets of those interests, a few leftist professors from taxpayer-supported universities and, of course, editors at some of the state’s largest newspapers — remain dogged in their opposition. For most Proposition 13 opponents, like the public employee union bosses, their opposition is all about money and getting more of it from taxpayers. Others, in the “Chardonnay and brie set,” object to the bottom up origin of the 1978 tax revolt that carried Proposition 13 to victory. These folks are always uncomfortable with ideas that are popular with those who they see as part of the “great unwashed.” However, the majority knew exactly what they were doing when they approved Proposition 13 by a nearly two-to-one margin. They saw that property taxes were out of control -- in some areas actually doubling in the duration of a single year -- and friends and neighbors were being forced from their homes. They saw clearly the benefit of a tax system that would limit annual tax increases and make property taxes predictable from year to year. By lowering the tax rate from nearly 3 percent, to 1 percent and restricting annual increases in assessed value to 2 percent, Proposition 13 provided a stable system for all, including government agencies that depend on property taxes. Still, the opposition continues to try to gin up discontent against the tax limiting measure, using absurd and sometimes insidious arguments. Critics whine about fairness, like children in a school yard shouting “no fair, no fair.” They point out that in some neighborhoods a recent homebuyer is paying more in taxes than a neighbor who has owned their home for 30, 20 or even 10 years.
This, they claim, shows that the tax burden is being born by the young, while older property owners reap the benefit. Of course, this is nonsense. The longtime owner has been paying property taxes for years — property taxes that built the infrastructure the new buyer now enjoys — and they began paying based on what they could afford to pay for their home at the time of purchase. The new buyer is in the exact same position, in that his or her taxes are based on what they can afford now, and they, too, enjoy the benefit of knowing what their taxes will be in the future. What Proposition 13 provides to both new and longtime homeowners alike, whatever their age, is certainty and security in taxation. And the critics of this system are not in the least bit concerned about “fairness”; they are looking for more money from the older owners. For those who wonder what good Proposition 13 is to renters, consider that by limiting annual increases in property taxes, it reduces the pressure on owners to increase rents. And all taxpayers, whether property owners or not, benefit from Proposition 13’s requirement that local voters be given the final say on local tax increases, like those on utility services. Finally, even government benefits from the Proposition 13 system. When times are tough, both income and sales tax receipts plummet, but due to Proposition 13’s acquisition value system, in most years, property tax revenue continues to increase, and if it declines, the reduction will be very modest. It should be noted that property tax receipts were $4.9 billion in 1978-79, but by 2010-11 property revenue had seen a tenfold increase to $49 billion per year — an increase that is two and a half times the rate of inflation over the same period — providing a healthy revenue stream to local governments. So after 35 years, Proposition 13 has proved it has something for everybody by providing stability to our property tax system, protecting all taxpayers from unreasonable taxation, and by providing a healthy revenue stream to government. What’s not to like?
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Ex-Calif. Rep. Cunningham finishes prison term BY ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press
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SAN DIEGO Randy “Duke” Cunningham, whose feats as a Navy flying ace during the Vietnam War catapulted him to a U.S. House career that ended in disgrace when he was convicted of accepting $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors, on Tuesday completed one of the longest prison sentence ever given to a member of Congress. Cunningham, 71, was released from home confinement, said Chris Burke, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons who declined to say where or explain the circumstances, citing privacy and safety concerns. Typically authorities meet an inmate at home, work or mutually agreeable place to make the release official. Cunningham told a federal judge last year that he planned to live near his mother and brother in a remote part of Arkansas, writing books in a small cabin. But in a brief interview with The Associated Press in April, he said he might settle with military friends in Florida, where he would write his memoirs. “I’m like a tenderfoot in the forest,” he said. “I’m just unsure where to find a branch to sit on.” Cunningham, an eight-term Republican congressman from San Diego, was sentenced to eight years, four months in prison in March 2006 after pleading guilty to accepting bribes from companies in exchange for steering government contracts their way. The bribes included a luxury house, yacht, Rolls-Royce, travel, lavish meals, $40,000 Persian rugs and antique furniture. The bribes — the largest known to be accepted by a member of Congress — were one of several scandals afflicting Republicans at the time, allowing Democrats to portray a culture of corruption in midterm elections that made San Francisco Rep. Nancy Pelosi the first female Speaker of the House. Cunningham’s downfall also fed controversy over congressional earmarks that allow lawmakers to direct money to pet projects. When he tearfully announced his resignation outside San Diego’s federal courthouse, Cunningham said he disgraced his office. At his sentencing, he told U.S. District Judge Larry Burns that he took “a very wrong turn” and that he would repent for the rest of his life. The contrition didn’t last. Cunningham told news organizations and others that he regretted his guilty plea and complained that the Internal Revenue Service was draining his savings. “You can only push a man so far, your honor,” Cunningham wrote the judge in 2010. He acknowledged mistakes but added in the same sentence that he was “one of the most highly decorated veterans in this nation” who gave a life of service. His sentence required he pay $1.8 million for back taxes and forfeit an additional $1.85 million for bribes he received, plus proceeds from the sale of a home in the highly exclusive San Diego suburb of Rancho Santa Fe. He was ordered to pay $1,500 a month in prison and $1,000 monthly after his release.
CUNNINGHAM
Cunningham, who had his sentence cut 392 days for good behavior, wrote the judge last year that he would live on $1,700 a month after his release, saying the IRS “has me poor for the rest of my life.” He portrayed the loss of his home and other property as an example of how veterans are mistreated. “This dark period in my life is about to get a little lighter but do not think it will ever get sunny,” he wrote. In his letter, Cunningham pleaded for a gun permit, saying he longed to hunt in Arkansas. Burns denied the request as being beyond the scope of his authority. “I flew aircraft that could disintegrate your building with a half second burst and now can’t carry a 22 cal. Pls help me your honor,” Cunningham wrote. Cunningham, a former fighter pilot who invoked his war heroics throughout his career, took an interest in military affairs while in Congress. He also supported socially conservative positions but may have drawn most attention for his outbursts. During a floor debate in 1995, he attacked his adversaries as “the same ones that would put homos in the military.” Two people who bribed Cunningham also were convicted. Former contractor Brent Wilkes was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to 12 years for bribery and other charges for lavishing Cunningham with more than $700,000 in cash and other gifts in exchange for nearly $90 million in defense work. He is free while appealing the verdict. Mitchell Wade was released from prison in 2011 after a 2.5-year sentence. He pleaded guilty to giving the congressman more than $1 million in gifts — including a yacht that Cunningham named “Duke-Stir” — in exchange for about $150 million in contracts. Cunningham served nearly all his sentence at a minimum-security federal work camp in Tucson, Ariz., where inmates earn 12 to 40 cents an hour doing landscaping, maintenance work and food preparation. He moved to a New Orleans halfway house in December and, two months later, to a home where he lived under house arrest. It was the longest prison sentence for a member of Congress for taking bribes until Louisiana Democrat William Jefferson got 13 years in 2009. Cunningham, who has battled prostate cancer, said in April that he “did some things that I’m sorry for” but declined to address specific questions. He said he’s done drawing attention to himself. “What I’m trying to do is make a new start,” he said. “It’s like being reborn almost.”
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Audit: Calif. utility didn’t spend $50M for safety BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN FRANCISCO Pacific Gas & Electric Co. did not use more than $50 million it collected from ratepayers that was meant to improve its gas pipeline network in the decade leading up to a deadly explosion in a San Francisco Bay Area suburb, an audit shows. From 1999 to 2010, the utility regularly failed to use all the money to fix and maintain small gas distribution lines that deliver natural gas to homes and businesses, according to the audit by Leawood, Kan.-based Overland Consulting for the California Public Utilities Commission. Overland could not say exactly how PG&E spent the money, but it blamed ineffective executive management. “Executive leadership, process controls, internal communication, staffing, training, supervision, record keeping, auditing, information systems, asset knowledge, metrics reporting, and data analysis were all deficient. The result was substandard work quality and widespread non-compliance with PG&E’s own standards,” the report said. “At the same time, the profits made by the gas distribution operations exceeded the levels authorized by the Commission.” Overall, the audit found that PG&E’s gas distribution operations earned an average return-on-equity of 12.7 percent from 2003 to 2010, the same period in which the company’s authorized rate averaged 11.3 percent.
The audit also mentioned that the utility has not done enough since the 2010 San Bruno gas line blast to make up for shortchanging safety efforts earlier. The findings were first reported Tuesday by The San Francisco Chronicle. PG&E disputes some of the findings and has spent more than it received from customers in recent years for system improvements, PG&E spokeswoman Brittany Chord said. The blast in San Bruno sparked a fireball that killed eight people, injured dozens and destroyed 38 homes in a quiet neighborhood overlooking the San Francisco Bay. A larger, gas transmission line exploded in that case, not the distribution lines cited in the audit. But distribution lines can also explode, as they did in Cupertino in 2011 and in Rancho Cordova in 2008, killing a homeowner. A previous report by Overland found that PG&E had diverted tens of millions of dollars from maintenance of its gas transmission pipes as well. CPUC judges are expected to decide later this year how much the company should be fined for safety violations that led to the explosion. California regulators have recommended that the utility pay a record $2.25 billion fine for decades of negligence that led up to the explosion. The utility has said the $2.25 billion is illegally excessive, but has not offered a specific dollar figure PG&E considers reasonable.
National CITY OF SANTA MONICA NOTICE INVITING BIDS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Santa Monica invites sealed bids for:
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BID #4069 PROVIDE REPAIR SERVICES AND PARTS FOR VARIOUS CUSTODIAL EQUIPMENT, AS REQUIRED BY CUSTODIAL SERVICES. • Submission Deadline Is June 18, 2013 at 3:00 PM Pacific Time. The bid packets can be downloaded at: • http://vendors.planetbids.com/SantaMonica/QuickSearch.cfm Request for bid forms and specifications may be obtained from the City of Santa Monica, 1717 4th St., Suite 250, Santa Monica, California, or by e-mailing your request to Regina.Benavides@smgov.net. Bids must be submitted on forms furnished by the City of Santa Monica. Vendors interested in doing business with the City of Santa Monica are encouraged to register online at http://www.smgov.net/finance/purchasing/
THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE PROPOSED FY 2013-15 BIENNIAL BUDGET AND ADOPTION OF THE RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING THE CITY’S GANN APPROPRIATIONS LIMIT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013-14 The City Council, Housing Authority, Successor Agency, and Parking Authority of the City of Santa Monica will hold a public budget hearing on June 25, 2013. The Council meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 1685 Main Street, Santa Monica, California. All citizens are invited to attend and provide the Council with written and oral comments and ask questions concerning the City’s entire proposed budget. At the meeting on June 25, the City Council will also adopt a resolution for the determination of the GANN Appropriations limit for fiscal year 2013-14. A copy of the documentation used in calculating the limit is presented in the FY 2013-15 Proposed Biennial Budget. The Proposed FY 2013-15 Biennial City Budget can be inspected by the public in the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall or viewed on the Internet at www.smgov.net. Unless otherwise noted, City Hall is open Monday through Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Fridays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On alternate Fridays, City Hall is open for limited services only. Copies of the FY 2013-15 Proposed Biennial City Budget are also available to view at the City’s Main Library located at 601 Santa Monica Boulevard and branch libraries at 1704 Montana Avenue, 2101 Ocean Park Boulevard and 2601 Main Street.
York recently launched a series of subway ads lampooning reality shows. The posters promote fake shows including “Bad Bad Bag Boys” and “Knitting Wars,” alongside the slogan: “The fact you thought this was a real show says a lot about the state of TV.” Bouzaglo, who has repeatedly ignored requests for comment, was expected to discuss her proposed reality show on the television newsmagazine “Inside Edition” late Tuesday. She and her husband, Samy Bouzaglo, said they went on the show to disprove bad online reviews of their business, Amy’s Baking Co., in Scottsdale, Ariz. But their story went viral after host and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay ended up walking away when they grew incensed over his constructive criticism. It’s not hard to imagine the foulmouthed, defensive couple launching a TV series and creating a line of, say, Amy’s Angry Kitchen products if only because so many others have already blazed that path. On Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” Teresa Giudice launched a line of cookbooks and hair products after flipping over a table at a dinner party. Beauty pageant participant Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson became a household name after the TLC network created a show capitalizing on her family’s redneck stereotypes. On MTV, the nastiest “Real World” contestants are often the ones invited back each year for an athletic competition show that can sometimes feel like the cast is reliving their cruelest high school memories. “People who yell and scream sell because they attract the eyeballs and the eyeballs attract the advertisers,” said June Deery, a communications professor at Rensselaer
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CITY OF SANTA MONICA NOTICE INVITING BIDS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Santa Monica invites Contractors to complete and submit sealed bids for the: Park Restroom Facilities Renovation Project SP2243 Bids shall be delivered to the City of Santa Monica, Office of the City Clerk, Room 102, 1685 Main Street, Santa Monica, California, 90401, not later than 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 27, 2013 to be publicly opened and read aloud after 3:00 p.m. on said date in City Hall Council Chambers. Each Bid shall be in accordance with the Request for Bids. NON-MANDATORY PRE-BID JOB WALK: Thursday, June 6, 2013 9:00 – 9:30 AM Hotchkiss Park, 302 Strand Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405 9:45 – 10:15 AM Marine Park, 1406 Marine Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405 PROJECT ESTIMATE: $440,000.00 CONTRACT DAYS: 120 Calendar Days LIQUIDATED DAMAGES: $500.00 Per Day Bidding Documents may be obtained by logging onto the City’s Finance website at: http://www01.smgov.net/finance/purchasing/. The Contractor is required to have a Class B license at the time of bid submission. Contractors wishing to be considered must submit Bids containing all information required pursuant to the City’s Request for Bids. Pursuant to Public Contracts Code Section 22300, the Contractor shall be permitted to substitute securities for any monies withheld by the City to ensure performance under this Contract.
mob. “That element of worry and fear that could make the jury selection process more difficult doesn’t exist here,” said Dick Lehr, who co-authored two books about Bulger, including “Whitey: The Life of America’s Most Notorious Mob Boss.” “His most important cohorts have turned into government witnesses. Once they learned Whitey was a rat, they’ve all turned on him — having felt betrayed by their boss — so there’s no loyalty there. In terms of public fear of gang retaliation, there’s nothing there.” Tom Duffy, a retired state police major who was one of the lead Bulger investigators, said Bulger’s work as an informant has made him a pariah among his former associates. “Nobody is going to step up to the plate for this guy,” Duffy said. “He betrayed so many people.” As jury selection got under way Tuesday, Judge Denise Casper told two pools of prospective jurors that despite Bulger’s notoriety, the approach to picking a jury remains the same. “Both parties have a right to a jury that is fair and impartial,” Casper said. She said people will not necessarily be excused from sitting on the jury simply because they have read or heard about Bulger. The “critical issue,” she said, is whether they can decide the case based only on evidence presented in court. Bulger is accused in a broad racketeering indictment of a long list of crimes, including 19 killings, extortion and money-laundering. Authorities say he committed the crimes while he was an FBI informant, but Bulger’s lawyers deny that he was ever an informant. Casper told the first two jury pools that
We have you covered Polytechnic Institute in New York and the author of “Consuming Reality: The Commercialization of Factual Entertainment.” TV networks are drawn to the shows because they are relatively inexpensive to produce. “If it doesn’t work, you cancel it after three shows. You haven’t lost that much money,” said James Wiltz, a licensed psychologist in Indiana who has studied reality TV viewership. “But if you get 10 million viewers, you are making a lot of money and you don’t have to pay anybody for it.” But what do viewers get out of it? Why do they love to watch these people misbehave? For one thing, anything taboo always has a certain seductive quality, said Jim Taylor, a University of San Francisco professor who has studied reality television. “Our inner baby wants to have a tantrum or go off on somebody else because they hurt our feelings, but typically in our society that type of behavior is not rewarded,” he said. For others, the shows are aspirational. “People fantasize about fame and fortune,” Wiltz said. “It’s interesting to see someone else who is just sort of a regular person become famous.” That doesn’t mean reality TV is a positive distraction. A growing body of research suggests watching people act like jerks on TV inspires others to be less kind or sympathetic. Call it the Kardashian effect. If TV consistently portrays people as selfish and uncouth, it basically sends the message that such behavior is acceptable and lucrative. “Reality TV normalizes narcissism,” said Audrey Longson, a New Jersey psychiatrist who recently presented research at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting linking bad behavior and reality TV viewership. “It’s alarming.” she understands the trial — expected to last three to four months — will be a disruption to their daily lives and may even pose an “extreme hardship” for some people. But she said she will have to balance the needs of jurors with Bulger’s right to get a “cross-section of the community” to sit on the jury. As Bulger was introduced to the second jury pool by his attorney, J.W. Carney Jr., many potential jurors strained to get a look at Bulger. “Good afternoon,” Bulger said in a soft voice. Jeffrey Abramson, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of the book, “We the Jury: the Jury System and the Ideal of Democracy,” said the difficulty in picking a jury in the Bulger case may be in finding 18 people who can put aside negative portrayals of Bulger in books and news stories, and are willing to spend four months hearing the case against him. “There are very few people who want to or even have the flexible schedule that would permit them to sit on a jury for that long,” Abramson said. “That certainly tilts the available jury pool to people who are at both ends of the age spectrum ... you are very unlikely to get a cross-section of the community, and that creates problems,” he said. A total of about 450 prospective jurors were brought in Tuesday and were asked to fill out lengthy questionnaires that will be used to screen out people with conflicts. A third pool of 225 people will be brought in Wednesday. Once the pool is winnowed down, potential jurors will be questioned individually, beginning Thursday. The judge has said she hopes to complete the selection process Friday, with opening statements from prosecutors and defense attorneys expected on June 10. Twelve regular jurors and six alternates will be chosen.
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HOUSING FROM PAGE 1 require private developers to either build affordable housing or pay fees to the Housing Trust Fund, a source of public development dollars, but that won’t be enough to meet local requirements under Proposition R, a 1990 measure that dictated that 30 percent of units constructed in Santa Monica be affordable, Agle said. “I’m not sure that just relying on forprofit housing developers to meet our needs will … comply with Prop. R and … achieve goals in affordable housing production,” Agle told the City Council. Even tweaks to existing policies will not meet the needs, City Manager Rod Gould said when Councilmember Kevin McKeown asked about possible changes to the zoning code or other policies that might help address the deficit. There will be another study session in the fall on the subject. “We will look at the whole basket of options and find out which you wish us to pursue,” Gould said. In the meantime, housing officials are looking into possible local funding measures that could help bridge the gap between existing policy, proposed measures at the state level and the amount of money Santa Monica pumped into the cause before the death of redevelopment over a year ago. Exactly what form that will take has yet to
We have you covered be decided, but efforts by the city of San Francisco seem to have provided some inspiration. The northern city, which doubles as a county, first proposed to raise certain taxes on property sales, but ultimately asked voters to dedicate money that would have gone to the city’s former Redevelopment Agency under the previous system to affordable housing. That is a bit easier for San Francisco than it would be for Santa Monica because the city occupies the same space as the county of the same name. Here, Santa Monica officials would have to ask Los Angeles County for the money that once flowed to its redevelopment agency, likely in concert with other cities in the county. The tax option, called a real estate transfer tax, could be a “successful strategy” in Santa Monica, according to a report delivered in December. San Francisco’s proposal would have levied a tax on property sales over a certain dollar amount to avoid hitting middle-class homeowners that could not afford the charge. City Hall is studying how much money that would actually bring to local coffers, but it could be “significant,” Agle said. Santa Monica property owners already shoulder a number of property-based assessments that show up on their tax bill every year. The local school district recently approved the second of two active bond measures that takes its place alongside bond measures for Santa Monica College and two
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school-related parcel taxes. On the city side, a property tax pays for clean water initiatives and a sales tax passed in 2010 brought the local sales tax rate up a half-cent, the proceeds of which are evenly divided between the city and the schools. Although it’s hard to say how successful any of these proposals might be, experts agree that while it’s difficult to get people to tax themselves, it’s not nearly so difficult to persuade them to impose taxes on others. Proposition 30, a tax measure passed in November, was a rare example of the former, said Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC. “Generally, people are relatively willing to raise taxes on other people,” Schnur said. “Taxes on drinkers, taxes on smokers, taxes on oil executives, taxes on wealthy people — it’s much more difficult to get them to raise taxes on themselves.” That can be easier when the measure is local because people can see the benefit of the money in their own back yard rather than have it be sucked into the state’s General Fund, never to be seen again. Also, when it comes to property-related taxes, it helps to be a city of renters. Roughly 70 percent of Santa Monica’s population rents their homes, and may not see a direct connection between themselves and property taxes, said Brandon Stephenson, vice president of Cerrell Associates, a consultancy.
Either way, it’s critical to ask people where they stand on the issue of affordable housing and a tax to pay for it and then be clear on how the new revenues will address the problem, Stephenson said. That may entail pointing out construction jobs, or how affordable housing strengthens community, Stephenson said. “You always have to have a strategic plan. You have to have that road map to figure out what your successful plan may be,” he said. “Without that, polling, strong messages and the right messengers, it’s very difficult to achieve success.” As Santa Monica struggles with its options, efforts to save affordable housing at the state level continue. Senate Bill 391 by State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Walnut Creek) proposes to generate $500 million by applying a $75 fee to the recording of real estate documents. It’s received support from Housing California, a nonprofit that works on affordable housing and homelessness issues in the state. That’s still only half of what was lost, said Shamus Roller, executive director of Housing California, and officials are also looking to a separate bill that might allow the state to use money raised from an environmental law for housing. “We need some of those local solutions as well,” Roller said.“The redevelopment agencies were a state and local solution. Some of these local things will fill in some of these gaps.” ashley@smdp.com
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CRIME FROM PAGE 1 Police Department. Despite one high profile case at the home of investor Jeffrey Gundlach in which millions of dollars worth of paintings and other valuable items were stolen and later recovered, home burglaries also dropped from 197 by this time in 2012 to 144 in 2013. Burglaries from vehicles held steady, bumping up just one incident from 371 to 372, Lewis said. The only category that increased significantly, in fact, was commercial burglaries, which bumped up 24 percent from 62 last year to 77 this year, Lewis said. Officials attribute the success to a policy that puts every officer not assigned to patrol on patrol duty twice a month, which means dozens more officers on the streets to deter crime. Officials use the extra bodies to target areas with reported increases in crimes, like Montana Avenue, which saw a well-publicized jewelry store heist in April, as well as the Wilshire Boulevard and Lincoln Boulevard corridors and major shopping areas like the Third Street Promenade and Main Street. The policy, in place for almost eight months, has been “very effective” in reducing crime throughout the city without increasing overtime and the cost to city coffers, Lewis said. At the same time, police are receiving training in how to deal with the homeless population similar to that of the six officers that comprise the Homeless Liaison Program, or HLP Team. Other specialized teams, like the Crime Reduction Team, which targets quality of life issues in Downtown and public parks, and the Crime Impact Team, which looks at beats throughout the city, have also helped put a greater police presence on the ground where it’s needed most, Lewis said. “We want to be highly visible and proactive, especially on quality of life issues,” Lewis said. The goal is to bring crime down by 1 percent each quarter, a marked improvement after 2012 saw an 11 percent increase over the previous year. The changes come as the department
VERDICT FROM PAGE 1 described by prosecutors as a female James Bond. Onlookers in the courtroom who knew victim Juliana Redding screamed obscenities and called defendant Kelly Soo Park a murderer. They appeared ready to pounce on Park and were held back by deputies as she turned and was led through a rear entrance. Jurors had been escorted out a back way before the outburst. Park wept when the final verdict was announced. Redding’s family left the courthouse without comment. District Attorney Jackie Lacey later issued a statement saying prosecutors believed in the strength of the evidence and had fought hard and fair in court. “Although we disagree with the verdict, we respect our system of justice,” Lacey said. Prosecutors had depicted Park as a hired killer who strangled Redding with her bare hands on instructions from the model’s former boyfriend. The panel returned two separate verdicts in the case after struggling with legal definitions and receiving additional instructions. The panel initially found Park not guilty of first-degree murder. After hearing more arguments from lawyers, jurors deliberated further and came back with an acquittal on the lesser
explores further reorganization, including a new Downtown division that won ringing endorsement from some City Council members last week. Much of the specifics depend on the results of a study commissioned in March that will look into the costs and benefits of the 4-10 work schedule for patrol officers, which would have them work 10-hour shifts four days a week. That comes in contrast to the 3-12 schedule, in which police work three days a week for 12 hours and an extra shift a month to make up the difference. Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks has been open about her skepticism of the system and has stated that a change to the 4-10 schedule would be more efficient and meld better with other schedules like that of detectives and the courts. She also believes it will increase the number of officers on the street. “When you’re here more frequently, even with less duration, there’s more opportunity for community engagement,” Seabrooks said. Movement in the police department comes against the backdrop of realignment, a state policy that shifted non-violent offenders out of prisons and into local jails to reduce overcrowding. That, in turn, forced low-level offenders out of jails and onto the streets. Some in the department believe that the release of these criminals contributed to an increase in crime seen in 2012. ashley@smdp.com
included offense of second-degree murder. They had reported on Monday that they were deadlocked on the second-degree murder charge with two jurors in disagreement. They asked for clarification of the difference between first- and second-degree murder. The judge allowed attorneys for both sides to address the panel briefly with additional arguments. Deputy District Attorney Stacy Okun-Wiese explained the legal requirements to convict Park. Park’s lawyer, George Buehler, told the panel:“There are still a lot of unanswered questions about what happened in the apartment.” Redding was killed in Santa Monica in 2008. Prosecutors alleged that Park strangled her with her bare hands and left overwhelming DNA evidence on the body and around the apartment. They say a doctor who had dated Redding gave Park a six-figure payment to kill her after a business deal soured with Redding’s father. During the trial, there was testimony from the father that he heard the boyfriend refer to Park as a female James Bond. He did not elaborate. Defense attorneys say Park lacked the brutal, evil intent the crime required, and she wasn’t there when Redding was killed. Attorney Mark Kasabian said the defense was gratified with the outcome of the trial, but it was a tragic case. He said the Redding family had lost a daughter in a terrible crime. “I hope they find who killed her,” he said.
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IRS officials enjoyed luxury rooms at conference BY ALAN FRAM & STEPHEN OHLEMACHER Associated Press
WASHINGTON Already heavily criticized for targeting conservative groups, the Internal Revenue Service absorbed another blow Tuesday as new details emerged about senior officials enjoying luxury hotel rooms, free drinks and free food at a $4.1 million training conference. It was one of many expensive gatherings the agency held for employees over a three-year period. One top official stayed five nights in a room that regularly goes for $3,500 a night, and another — who was later promoted — stayed four nights in a room that regularly goes for $1,499. A total of 132 IRS officials received room upgrades at the conference in 2010 in Anaheim, Calif., according to a report by J. Russell George, the Treasury Department inspector general for tax administration. The tax agency paid a flat daily fee of $135 per hotel room, the report said, but the upgrades were part of a package deal that added to the overall cost of the conference. The report was made public on the same day leaders of six conservative groups testified at a congressional hearing, where they told lawmakers they had endured abuse from IRS agents as they spent years trying to qualify for tax-exempt status. In often-emotional testimony, the conservatives described IRS demands for details about employees’ and group officials’ political activities and backgrounds, for comments they’d posted on websites, for videos of meetings and information on whether speakers at such sessions voiced political
views. Some said it took three years to get their tax-exempt status; others said they were still waiting. “I’m a born-free American woman,” Becky Gerritson, president of the Wetumpka Tea Party of Alabama, tearfully told the lawmakers. “I’m telling my government, ‘You’ve forgotten your place.’” Federal regulations say that tax-exempt social welfare organizations can engage in some political activity but the activity cannot be their primary mission. It is up to the IRS to make that determination of their level of political activity, and some Democrats at Tuesday’s House Ways and Means Committee hearing noted that some liberal groups also have had a hard time winning tax-exempt status from the IRS. However, revelations about IRS agents improperly targeting tea party and other groups have led to investigations by three congressional committees and the Justice Department. One top IRS official was forced to resign, another retired and a third was placed on paid administrative leave. Tuesday’s report by the inspector general suggests the agency has struggled with management issues beyond the division that handles tax-exempt applications. According to the report, expensive employee conferences were approved with few restraints or safeguards until new rules were imposed in 2011. In all, the IRS held 225 employee conferences from 2010 through 2012, at a total cost of $49 million, the report said. The Anaheim conference was the most expensive, but others were costly, too. In 2010, the agency held a conference in Philadelphia that cost $2.9 million, one in
San Diego that cost $1.2 million and another in Atlanta that also cost $1.2 million. All of these conferences would violate new rules imposed by the White House budget office in 2012 that cap expenses for a single conference at $500,000. In 2010 alone, the IRS had 13 conferences that cost more than that. By comparison, the General Services Administration was widely criticized for a 2010 conference in Las Vegas that cost $823,000. Spending on IRS conferences dropped substantially, from $37.6 million in the 2010 budget year to $6.3 million in 2011 and then to $4.9 million last year, according to the IRS. Acting IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel called the conferences “an unfortunate vestige from a prior era.” Werfel took over the agency about two weeks ago, after President Barack Obama forced the previous acting commissioner to resign. “Taxpayers should take comfort that a conference like this would not take place today,” Werfel said in a statement. The inspector general’s report focused on the Anaheim conference, which was held for 2,609 managers in the agency’s small business and self-employed division. At the conference, the commissioner of the tax-exemption division, Christopher Wagner, stayed in a presidential suite that normally cost $3,500 a night. Wagner became chief of the IRS office of appeals in 2011 and retired this year. His deputy, Faris Fink, stayed in a room that normally cost $1,499 a night, the report said. Fink was promoted to commissioner of the small business and self-employed division in 2011. He still holds the position, according to an IRS spokesman.
The actual room expense was far less, the report said, though the upgrades pushed the conference cost higher. Without the upgrades, the report said the IRS could have negotiated a lower room rate, as required by agency procedures. The IRS paid two event planners a total of $133,000 to organize the Anaheim conference. The planners were paid a percentage of the hotel room costs, which removed incentives for them to negotiate lower fees, the report said. Fifteen outside speakers were paid a total of $135,350. One was paid $27,500 for two onehour speeches; another was paid $17,000. The IRS said in a statement, “Many of the issues raised in the report, such as the use of event planners, the receipt of room upgrades and the welcome reception and breakfast provided by the hotel, were complimentary and did not entail the use of any additional government resources.” However, the report said the inspector general “believes that the costs for the conference could have been reduced if the IRS had not requested the numerous concessions from the Anaheim hotels and had instead negotiated for a lower room rate.” The IRS has been under heavy criticism since last month, when a previous inspector general’s report showed that agents in a Cincinnati office had singled out tea party and other conservative groups for additional scrutiny when they sought tax-exempt status during the 2010 and 2012 election campaigns. At Tuesday’s hearing, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., said such an IRS focus was creating a “culSEE IRS PAGE 13
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Study: Pot arrests more likely for blacks BY SUZANNE GAMBOA Associated Press
WASHINGTON Black people are arrested for possessing marijuana at a higher rate than white people, even though marijuana use by both races is about the same, the American Civil Liberties Union reports in a new study. The ACLU’s analysis of federal crime data, released Tuesday, found marijuana arrest rates for black people were 3.73 times greater than those for white people nationally in 2010. In some counties, the arrest rate was 10 to 30 times greater for blacks. In two Alabama counties, 100 percent of those arrested for marijuana possession were black, the ACLU said. When it comes to marijuana use, about 14 percent of black people and 12 percent of white people reported in 2010 that they had used the drug during the previous year, according to data that the ACLU obtained from the National Drug Health Survey, a Health and Human Services publication. Among younger people ages 18-25, use was greater among whites. An overall increase in marijuana possession arrests from 2001 to 2010 is largely attributable to drastic increases in arrests of black people, the ACLU said. Blacks were arrested at a rate of 537 per 100,000 people nationally in 2001. In 2010, their arrest rate rose to 716 per 100,000. The 2001 number for white people was 191 per 100,00 and rose to 192 per 100,000 in 2010, the ACLU said. Despite the disparate rates, far more whites were arrested for marijuana possession in 2010, 460,808 compared to blacks, 286,117. Ezekiel Edwards, lead author of the ACLU study, attributed the disparate arrest rates to racial profiling by police seeking to pad their arrest numbers with “low-level” arrests in “certain communities that they have kind of labeled as problematic.” “While this country moves in some ways in a more progressive direction on marijuana policy in a lot of places, in other places, people are getting handcuffed, jailed and getting criminal records at racially disparate rates all around the country,” Edwards said. Police simply operate from the standpoint that “the use of marijuana is a crime,” said Jim Pasco, executive director of the National Fraternal Order of Police. “We will try to educate our membership, to the extent the statistics are valid, to be aware (that) people other than blacks are smoking marijuana and to arrest them too,” said Pasco, who had not yet seen the ACLU report. Arthur Burnett Sr., a retired judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, said his 40 years on the bench showed him that police concentrate their numbers in black communities. It’s easier to catch people with marijuana in communities where there are “open-air” drug markets, rather than looking in homes, basements or country clubs, said Burnett. He is the CEO of the National African American Drug Policy Coalition based in Washington. Burnett said some black defendants, distrustful of authorities, may lash out, use profanities or be rebellious — behavior that makes it more likely that an officer will make
IRS FROM PAGE 12 ture of political intimidation and discrimination.” He said the agency’s targets were “Americans who did what we ask people to do every day — add their voice to the dialogue that defines our country.” John Eastman of the National Organization for Marriage said that in 2012, confidential donor information that he said came from his group’s tax returns was posted on the website
an arrest. Burnett said his coalition supports forming a commission to look at scientific evidence on the effect of marijuana use and “overcriminalization” of it. The commission would determine whether to treat marijuana like tobacco, in which people are warned about consequences of its use. It would also examine the harshness of penalties for using pot. “We don’t need to treat it like heroin and cocaine,” Burnett said. The ACLU supports legalization of marijuana and regulation through taxation and licensing. It also supports eliminating criminal and civil penalties for marijuana possession. If those two options are not possible, the ACLU supports punishment for marijuana possession with only civil penalties, which is often referred to as decriminalizing marijuana possession. The unequal arrests rates are not confined to a single region of the U.S. or in urban areas with larger black populations, the ACLU said. That discrepancy is found throughout the country, regardless of the size of the black population of the location and at all income levels, the data shows. For example, in Morgan County, Ala., where African Americans represent 12 percent of the population and Pike County, Alabama, where 37 percent of the population is black, all those arrested for marijuana possession were black, the ACLU found. African Americans living in counties with the highest median household incomes, $85,000 to $115,000, are two to eight times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites. In counties with median household incomes of $22,000 to $30,000, the arrest rate for blacks is 1.5 times to five the rate as for whites, the report said. The largest disparities were found in: Iowa, where blacks were 8.34 times more likely to be arrested than whites; Washington, D.C., 8.05 times greater; Minnesota, 7.81 times; Illinois, 7.56; Wisconsin, 5.98; Kentucky, 5.95 and Pennsylvania, 5.19 times greater. Blacks face these greater chances for arrest for marijuana possession at a time when Colorado and Washington have legalized adult possession of small amounts of nonmedical marijuana, while a number of states and Washington, D.C. allow medical marijuana. Federal law still prohibits its use. Some states and some cities have eased punishments for possession of smaller amounts. The findings are hardly surprising to the African American community. Ben Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP, said arrest disparities like those for marijuana possession have led to mass incarceration and criminalization of African Americans, which in turn, has become the new Jim Crow, referring to laws that sanctioned racial segregation in schools and public facilities. “Any arrest, even for marijuana, is a blot on someone’s record and an impediment to future jobs and opportunities,” Jealous said. “For these reasons, a number of NAACP state conferences (chapters) have supported the decriminalization of marijuana.” of a political opponent, the Human Rights Campaign. Eastman’s group, which is tax exempt, opposes same-sex marriage, which the Human Rights Campaign supports. “You can imagine our shock and disgust over this,” Eastman said. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., said many of the conservative groups have taken positions on highly charged political issues. “Let’s stop this charade of pretending to be just social welfare organizations. Admit they are political and treat them as such,” Blumenauer said.
SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION STARTS NOW! Teen Summer Camp Intensive JAZZ - BALLET - MODERN CONTEMPORARY - HIP-HOP - TAP July 8th-Aug 2nd, 3:30-6pm,Tuesday-Thursday Dancers ages 13-18 yrs old – $700 INCLUDES T-SHIRT Join us as we dance the summer a way and refine technique & skill! To be addressed: – turns – leaps – stretching – core strength – proper placement – balance and more...
The Pretenders Studios To register please call
- 310.450.1800
wwww.thepretendersstudio.com 1635 16TH STREET, SANTA MONICA CA 90404
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2013
CLOVERFIELD
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Sponsorship & Player packages are now available Ranging from $300 – $25,000 To lend the support of your business... Contact PAL Youth Center - Alicia Endo 310-458-8988
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International 14
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2013
Egypt convicts NGO workers, including 16 Americans BY HAMZA HENDAWI Associated Press
CAIRO An Egyptian court on Tuesday senNOTICE INVITING APPLICATIONS CITY OF SANTA MONICA VIRGINIA AVENUE PARK ADVISORY BOARD One seat is currently available. Applications will be kept on file for one year for future vacancies. Applicants must reside in Santa Monica, and shall not hold paid office or employment in City government. Applications due by 5:00 p.m., Thursday, June 28, 2013. Appointment to be made by Recreation and Park Commission at an upcoming meeting. The Virginia Avenue Park Advisory Board (VAPAB) was established by the City Council in 1982 to represent the interests of park users, program participants and neighbors of Virginia Avenue Park and to advise the Recreation and Parks Commission in assessing community needs that could be addressed through park programs and amenities. VAPAB serves as an advisory body to the Recreation and Parks Commission and the Director of Community and Cultural Services.
Applications are available at Virginia Avenue Park or online at www.smgov.net/vapark. Submit applications to Carla Fantozzi, Virginia Avenue Park, 2200 Virginia Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90404, email vap.mailbox@smgov.net. For questions or inquiries, please call (310) 458-8688 or email vap.mailbox@smgov.net. Disability related assistance and alternate formats of this document are available upon request by calling (310) 458-8688.
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tenced 43 non-profit workers, including the son of the U.S. secretary of transportation and 15 other Americans, to prison in a case against foreign-funded pro-democracy groups. The ruling and heavy jail time of up to five years deepen worries over the operations of non-governmental organizations in Egypt as parliament considers a bill proposed by Islamist President Mohammed Morsi that critics warn will profoundly restrict their activities. The verdict was strongly denounced by the United States, with Secretary of State John Kerry and a host of powerful lawmakers expressing their outrage and berating the trial and the verdict as politically motivated and incompatible with Egypt’s transition to democratic rule. The defendants were convicted on charges of receiving foreign funds to foment unrest in Egypt. The charges were rooted in claims that the non-profit groups, which were working in various forms of democracy training, were fueling protests in 2011 against the military, which took power after the fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak in February that year. The verdict, read out by judge Makram Awad, also ordered the closure of the offices and seizure of the assets in Egypt belonging to the U.S. nonprofit groups and a German organization for which many of the defendants worked. These are the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, Freedom House, a center for training journalists, and Germany’s Konrad Adenauer Foundation. All but one of the Americans were sentenced in absentia because they had long left the country, including Sam LaHood, son of the U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. He received a five-year jail term. The only American defendant who remained in Egypt throughout the trial was Robert Becker, who was sentenced to two years. He left on a flight to Rome on Tuesday just hours after the verdict was announced, according to a Cairo airport official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. Becker had said he refused to flee with the other Americans before the trial to to show solidarity with his Egyptian colleagues. “I am honored to have stood in a cage for a dozen hearings this past year-and-a-half with my colleagues,” Becker, 44, who was not in the courtroom Tuesday, wrote in a blog entry the night before. “They are my brothers and sisters and personal heroes, and no trial verdict will break that bond.” Of the 43 defendants, 27 received five-year jail terms. Another five received two years while 11, all of them Egyptian, got suspended one-year sentences. In Egypt, defendants tried in absentia typically are convicted and receive the maximum sentence for a specific offense. However, if they return and give themselves up, they also get an automatic retrial. On trial beside the Egyptians and Americans were eight other foreigners, of Serbian, Palestinian, Lebanese, and other nationalities. In a statement, Kerry said closing the offices and seizure of the assets of the groups “contradicts the Government of Egypt’s commitments to support the role of civil society as a fundamental actor in a democra-
cy and contributor to development, especially at this critical stage in the Egyptian people’s democratic transition.” “I urge the Government of Egypt to work with civic groups as they respond to the Egyptian people’s aspirations for democracy as guaranteed in Egypt’s new constitution.” Three senior Republican senators — John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte — warned that, if left unchanged, the verdict will have “significant negative implications” for Washington’s relations with Cairo. “It is increasingly impossible to argue that the Egyptian government is safeguarding and advancing the democratic values that inspired the Egyptian revolution of 2011,” they said. Democratic Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania made a similar threat in a separate statement, saying the verdict will have a “serious impact” on relations with Egypt. “I call upon the Egyptian authorities to immediately review and overturn this misguided decision,” he said in a statement. Egypt and the United States have been close allies for more than three decades, with the Egyptian military receiving more than $1 billion in aid annually. The aid is linked to Egypt’s adherence to the American-mediated 1979 peace treaty with Israel, Washington’s closest Middle East ally. Besides the $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid, Egypt also receives about $250 million in economic aid every year. Beside its annual aid to Egypt, U.S. leverage can be decisive in determining whether the International Monetary Fund gives Egypt a $4.8 billion loan to kick start its ailing economy. While the proposed loan can only meet some of Egypt’s pressing needs, it would unlock billions of dollars in pledged aid by Gulf Arab nations and Europe. Germany, one of Egypt’s biggest donors and trade partners, was also angered by the verdict. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called the ruling “troubling” and said it weakens civil society, “which is an important pillar of democracy in the new democratic Egypt.” Heba Morayef, the Egypt director of Human Rights Watch, said she was baffled by the conviction. “Everyone knew it was a politicized trial and the judge could have had a way out if he suspended everyone’s sentence,” she said. “The trial, in some ways, reflects the paranoia that is in the president’s draft law for non-governmental organizations.” Morsi has proposed a controversial bill regulating NGOs, soon to be debated by the interim, Islamist-dominated parliament. The bill would allow the state to control nonprofits’ activities as well as their domestic and international funding, Human Rights Watch said last week. “It is extremely repressive,” Morayef said. In a joint statement last week, 40 Egyptian rights groups accused Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm of seeking to curb the freedom of rights groups through legal restrictions. They said the proposed law potentially gives Egypt’s security apparatus the power to suppress rights group, drawing parallels to Egypt’s recent past under Mubarak’s 29-year rule. They also expressed fears that foreign nonprofits would be treated with hostility and that vaguely worded legislation would hinder operations or the issuance of work permits. Nonprofit pro-democracy groups have trained thousands of young Egyptians in political activism and organizing, an education that played a key part in the success of the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak.
Sports WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2013
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O’Malley, Vero reach agreement on former Dodgertown campus
S U R F
15
R E P O R T
VERO BEACH, Fla. Former Los Angeles nership took over the complex in 2012. Dodger owner Peter O’Malley has signed a five-year lease extension for his management company to operate the old Dodgertown spring training site. O’Malley signed the agreement Tuesday with Indian River County to continue managing Vero Beach Sports Village. The agreement extends the lease until 2019. His part-
The Dodgers trained in Vero Beach from 1948 to 2008, when they moved their camp to Arizona. After their departure, the facility was renamed Vero Beach Sports Village and it now hosts amateur teams, tournaments and umpire schools. The 79-acre facility was in financial trouble before O’Malley stepped in to save it.
NCAA FOOTBALL
Irish signee Vanderdoes switches to UCLA instead BY TOM COYNE Associated Press
SOUTH BEND, Ind. Notre Dame said Tuesday it will not release a standout high school recruit from his letter of intent before he enrolls at UCLA later this month, meaning he can’t play football for the Bruins this fall and will lose a season of eligibility. Eddie Vanderdoes will have only three years of eligibility remaining because Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly did not release the 6-3, 285-pound defensive lineman from the letter he signed earlier this year. “We did not release him from his national letter of intent in order to protect the integrity of that very important program, but we have worked with the Vanderdoes family so that Eddie can continue his education this fall at a school closer to his home,” Kelly said in a statement. Vanderdoes, who graduates from Placer High School in Auburn, Calif., on Saturday, said he plans to enroll at UCLA, a school the Fighting Irish are not scheduled to play the next four seasons. He had originally verbally committed to Southern California, but reopened his search last fall and was the final player to sign with Notre Dame. Kelly could not comment on Vanderdoes during his Feb. 6 signing day news conference because the school had not yet received his letter that afternoon, although a news release including Vanderdoes’ name was distributed to the media, then quickly replaced. Vanderdoes announced his decision Tuesday to attend UCLA in a statement released to The Sacramento Bee. “For very personal reasons, I feel a strong need to remain close to home and be near
those who are most important in my life,” he said. “I am honored and humbled that Note Dame thought enough of me as a person and a football player to offer me a scholarship. They have been very gracious to recognize not only how difficult a decision this was, but also how important it was for me to be near my family at this time. I take my commitments seriously, but as circumstances changed, the most important commitment is the one made to family.” A call to Vanderdoes by The Associated Press rang unanswered Tuesday and he did not respond to a text message. There has been speculation for weeks that the five-star recruit was reconsidering his decision. Kelly talked about it last week, saying he expected Vanderdoes to report to school later this month, but added: “We’ll see who shows up. There’s always a surprise or two.” The recent surprises for Notre Dame, though, haven’t been good. The Vanderdoes news comes just 10 days after news broke that quarterback Everett Golson, who helped the Irish advance to the BCS title game against Alabama, had been suspended for the fall semester for “poor academic judgment.” Before that there was Gunner Kiel’s unexpected decision before spring practice began to transfer to Cincinnati, news that linebacker Manti Te’o had been the victim of an elaborate hoax involving a fake girlfriend and word of Kelly’s interview for the vacant Philadelphia Eagles job. Not to mention how surprised Notre Dame fans were to see how poorly the Irish played against Alabama in the BCS championship game, losing 42-14. As a senior at Placer High School last fall, Vanderdoes had 72 tackles, including nine sacks.
Surf Forecasts WEDNESDAY – FAIR –
Water Temp: 68.4° SURF:
2-3 ft Knee to chest high occ. 4ft
BIGGEST LATE - minimal NW windswell and Southern Hemi swell continue early; long-period forerunners of new SW-SSW groundswell move in with shoulder high+ sets by the late afternoon.
THURSDAY – FAIR TO GOOD –
SURF:
4-6 ft
shoulder high to 1 ft overhead occ. 7ft
Building long-period SW-SSW swell due to fill in through the day, with larger sets likely at top breaks; Beachbreaks mostly walled.
FRIDAY – FAIR TO GOOD –
SURF:
5-6 ft head high to 1 ft overhead occ. 7ft
SW-SSW well peaks, larger sets at top breaks; minimal NW windswell; Beachbreaks mostly walled.
SATURDAY – FAIR TO GOOD –
SURF:
3-5 ft waist to head high occ. 6ft
SW-SSW well starts to ease; larger sets at top Southern Hemi breaks
Comics & Stuff 16
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2013
We have you covered
MOVIE TIMES Aero Theatre 1328 Montana Ave. (310) 260-1528 Lost In Translation (R) 1hr 45min The Virgin Suicides (R) 1hr 37min Filmmaker Sofia Coppola in person. This event is now sold out on Fandango. There will be a standby line at the theatre on the night of the show.
AMC Loews Broadway 4 1441 Third Street Promenade (888) 262-4386 Fast & Furious 6 (PG-13) 2hrs 10min 12:45pm, 4:05pm, 7:15pm, 10:30pm Epic (PG) 1hr 42min 1:30pm, 4:15pm, 7:00pm, 9:45pm
Now You See Me (PG-13) 1hr 56min 1:00pm, 4:30pm, 7:30pm, 10:20pm
11:45am, 2:30pm, 5:15pm, 7:55pm, 10:35pm
Hangover Part III (R) 1hr 40min 12:30pm, 3:10pm, 5:45pm, 8:30pm
After Earth (PG-13) 1hr 40min 11:30am, 2:15pm, 5:00pm, 7:40pm, 10:25pm
AMC 7 Santa Monica 1310 Third St. (310) 451-9440
Great Gatsby (PG-13) 2hrs 23min 3:45pm, 10:15pm
Star Trek Into Darkness (PG-13) 2hrs 03min 11:15am, 4:05pm, 10:30pm Iron Man 3 (PG-13) 2hrs 15min 1:55pm, 4:50pm, 7:45pm, 10:40pm Fast & Furious 6 (PG-13) 2hrs 10min 11:55am, 3:10pm, 6:30pm, 9:45pm Epic in 3D (PG) 1hr 42min
Great Gatsby in 3D (PG-13) 2hrs 23min 12:15pm, 7:00pm Star Trek Into Darkness 3D (PG-13) 2hrs 03min 12:45pm, 7:20pm Hangover Part III (R) 1hr 40min 11:20am, 2:00pm, 4:35pm, 7:15pm, 10:00pm
Laemmle’s Monica Fourplex 1332 Second St. (310) 478-3836 Mud (PG-13) 2hrs 10min 1:10pm, 4:10pm, 7:10pm, 10:10pm Shadow Dancer (R) 1hr 44min 1:50pm, 4:40pm, 7:30pm, 10:15pm Love Is All You Need (R) 1hr 40min 1:40pm, 4:30pm, 10:10pm We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks (R) 2hrs 07min 1:00pm, 4:00pm, 7:00pm, 10:00pm
For more information, e-mail news@smdp.com
HANG OUT WITH FRIENDS TONIGHT, PISCES ARIES (March 21-April 19)
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
★★★★ You might want to talk money and
★★★★ Communicating on a one-on-one level with others will produce a stronger response than you might have thought possible. Evaluate what is happening behind the scenes that others might not be aware of. Tonight: Togetherness.
weigh a risk. Try to get as much information as you can, but understand that everything could change quickly. A partner you count on could become way too controlling for your taste. Tonight: Go shopping for a new item or two.
Speed Bump
By Dave Coverly
Strange Brew
By John Deering
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
★★★★ Your words affect others far more
★★★★★ Be ready for nearly anything. You eas-
deeply than you thought possible. Take your time when thinking about how to approach someone without being so intrusive. Tonight: Go with someone else's suggestion.
ily might become overwhelmed by everything that is going on around you right now. Maintain an even pace, and figure out what is needed. Don't push too hard. Tonight: As you like.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
★★★ You could be full of ideas and as spunky
★★★ Pull back a bit and observe more. You
as can be, but responsibilities call. Settling in could take a substantial amount of discipline. Lighten up in your dealings with a partner. This person often is a stickler. Tonight: Exercise, even if it is just walking the dog after dinner.
might not be sure as to what you're hearing, so start asking questions. Is it possible that someone is being intentionally vague? Tonight: Get as much R and R as possible -- you're going to need it!
Dogs of C-Kennel
By Mick and Mason Mastroianni
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) CANCER (June 21-July 22) ★★★★ You might want to rethink a personal matter before expressing your thoughts. You could be out of sorts, emotionally. Are you revealing too much of your thoughts at the present moment? A partner could be controlling. Tonight: Where the action is.
★★★★★ While others might be dumbfounded, you'll come up with ideas left and right. Unfortunately, not everyone's mind works like yours. Someone could have difficulty digesting the information. Be patient and compassionate. Tonight: Tap into your imagination.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
★★★ Getting your mind off a personal matter
★★★ Honor a boss's request, but know your limits. Focus on the here-and-now. You easily could be distracted, as an aspect of your daily life is subject to change. You will want more space and the freedom to work on projects at your own pace. Tonight: Out till the wee hours.
could be challenging, at best. Consider taking some time off to work through the issue in question. When you feel undermined in one area of your life, it can be difficult to focus on the rest! Tonight: Buy a favorite treat on the way home.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
★★★ You'll ask rapid-fire questions and
★★★★ Keep communication moving. Even if
expect answers. What becomes obvious is that you know the answers -- you just haven't taken the time to realize it. Reassess a situation according to news that filters in. Tonight: Consider taking a trip.
you feel as if someone is being controlling, try not to make it an issue. Rethink your role in the present situation. You can close someone off quite easily, which might make others feel at a loss. Tonight: Hang out with your friends.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Garfield
By Jim Davis
JACQUELINE BIGAR’S STARS The stars show the kind of day you’ll have: ★★★★★Dynamic ★★ So-So ★★★★ Positive ★ Difficult ★★★ Average
This year you discover that others really do want to understand you. Sometimes you are taken aback by a friend's requests. Your intensity might be a bit much for others, as you tend to respond with knee-jerk answers. If you are single, many people gravitate toward you. Be aware that you seem to attract suitors who are emotionally unavailable. If you are attached, share more of your authentic self with your sweetie. You will find that you are far more in tune with each other. TAURUS can be blunt.
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The Meaning of Lila
By John Forgetta & L.A. Rose
Puzzles & Stuff WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2013
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17
Sudoku Fill in the blank cells using numbers 1 to 9. Each number can appear only once in each row, column, and 3x3 block. Use logic and process of elimination to solve the puzzle. The difficulty level ranges from ★ (easiest) to ★★★★★ (hardest).
MYSTERY PHOTO
Daniel Archuleta daniela@smdp.com The first person who can correctly identify where this image was captured wins a prize from the Santa Monica Daily Press. Send answers to editor@smdp.com. Send your mystery photos to editor@smdp.com to be used in future issues.
NEWS OF THE WEIRD BY
CHUCK
SHEPARD
King Features Syndicate
GETTING STARTED There are many strategies to solving Sudoku. One way to begin is to examine each 3x3 grid and figure out which numbers are missing. Then, based on the other numbers in the row and column of each blank cell, find which of the missing numbers will work. Eliminating numbers will eventually lead you to the answer.
SOLUTIONS TO YESTERDAY’S PUZZLE
■ In New Haven, Conn., in March, police had trapped two car-theft suspects in a multifamily building whose occupants were hiding from the suspects, thus necessitating urgency in ending the siege. Officers ordered a K-9 unit but were told it would be delayed. In a tactic departments occasionally employ, officers still threatened to release the dogs immediately, and to make the threat credible, available officers began barking. The suspects quickly surrendered rather than face the vicious canines. ■ Herbert and Catherine Schaible, members of the First Century Gospel Church in Philadelphia and believers in faith-healing rather than medical care, were convicted in 2011 in the bacterial-pneumonia death of their 2-year-old son, Kent. As a condition of probation, they promised medical care for their remaining eight children, but in April 2013, their youngest son, Brandon, died after severe diarrhea and pneumonia, again treated only by prayer, and they were arrested - and the other children removed from the home. The medical examiner called Brandon's death a homicide, and the couple also face five to 10 years in prison for violating probation.
TODAY IN HISTORY – The U.S. Congress abrogates the United States' use of the gold standard by enacting a joint resolution (48 Stat. 112) nullifying the right of creditors to demand payment in gold. – Four thousand Chongqing residents are asphyxiated in a bomb shelter during the Bombing of Chongqing. – World War II: United States declares war on Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania.
1933 1941
1942
WORD UP! zither \ ZITH-er, ZITH- \ , noun; 1. a musical instrument, consisting of a flat sounding box with numerous strings stretched over it, that is placed on a horizontal surface and played with a plectrum and the fingertips.
18
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Employment ATTENTION LEGAL SECRETARIES, LEGAL AIDES, PARALEGALS, LAW OFFICE MANAGERS AND STAFF Great opportunity for extra income through referrals. We are a legal document courier service looking to expand our business and pay top referral fees for new accounts set up at area law offices, to inquire further, please email bsberkowitz@aol.com or call 310-748-8019 COMMISSION SALES Position selling our messenger services. Generous on-going commission. Work from home. To inquire further please email bsberkowitz@aol.com or call 310-748-8019. Ask for Barry. Cornerstone OnDemand is hiring a Senior Software Engineer in Santa Monica, CA. MS + 5 yrs exp. Apply technical skills & business knowledge to meet end-user, application, system & infrastructure reqs. Plan, analyze, design, implement, maintain & support software applications & websites. Ref job # 8YCPL2 & mail resume: 1601 Cloverfield Blvd #620 S, Santa Monica, CA 90404, attn. HR. Must be legally authrzd to wrk in US w/o spnsrshp. EOE. Multimedia Artist–Photographic Images & Effects. MFA film & TV prod. Send resume to Entertainment Industry Foundation, 1201 W. 5th St, #T-700, Los Angeles, CA 90017. (No agencies or phone calls please) Taxi drivers needed. Age 23 or older, H-6 DMV report required. Independent Contractor Call 310-566-3300
For Rent
Westchester, 6208 W 87th St 744sf $1750/mo + utl $2.35/sf/mo Front & back entrances. Air, Refurb, Sec Gate, Alarm. In Westchstr Triangle w/other retail. Walk to shops & dining in Village. Close to pkg & access to frwys. Call 310-345-9366. WLA Spacious 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath, upper apt, near SM. Blvd/Bundy. Large bedrooms & baths, stove, fridge, D/W, fireplace, laundry, new carpets, parking, smaller quiet building, $1785/mo Info (310) 828-4481
Instruction Private boxing coach. training clients on Santa Monica and Venice Beaches. 310-579-7544
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DBAS
2355 Bentley Ave. #202. Bright unit with high ceilings and Loft. Loft is 2nd Bd. Laundry onsite, Tandem gated parking, Central A/C, intercom entry. $1995 p/m 721 Pacific St. #1. 2Bd + 1.5 Bth. Hdwd floors, patio, walk to stores/restaurants. Will consider pet. $1995 p/m 1038 9th St. #H. North of Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica. 1 Bd 1 Bth. Top floor unit. Easy bike ride to the beach! $1695 p/m
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WE HAVE MORE VACANCIES ON THE WESTSIDE. MOST BUILDINGS PET FRIENDLY. A child is calling for help.
www.howardmanagement.com rentals@howardmanagement.com
Services Handyman
The Handy Hatts Painting and Decorating Co.
SINCE 1967 RESIDENTIAL/COMMERCIAL SPECIALISTS IN ALL DAMAGE REPAIR “EXPERT IN GREEN CONCEPTS” Free estimates, great referrals
FULL SERVICE HANDYMAN FROM A TO Z Call Brian @ (310) 927-5120 (310) 915-7907
Massage BLISSFUL RELAXATION! Experience Tranquility & Freedom from Stress through Nurturing & Caring touch in a total healing environment. Lynda, LMT: 310-749-0621
DBAS FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NUMBER: 2013086476 ORIGINAL FILING This statement was filed with the County Clerk of LOS ANGELES on 04/26/2013 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as YUASA GROUP. 555 WEST FIFTH ST. 31ST FLOOR , LOS ANGELES, CA 90013. The full name of registrant(s) is/are: YUASA JOUJI 883 MAGNOLIA AVE UNIT 35 PASADENA, CA 91106. This Business is being conducted by: an Individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed on (Date)01/01/2011. /s/: YUASA JOUJI. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of LOS ANGELES County on 04/26/2013. NOTICE: THIS FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT EXPIRES FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE
CALL TODAY FOR SPECIAL MONTHLY RATES! There is no more convincing medium than a DAILY local newspaper. Prepay your ad today!
(310)
COUNTY CLERK. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED PRIOR TO THAT DATE. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name statement in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see Section 14411et seq.,Business and Professions Code). SANTA MONICA DAILY PRESS to publish 05/22/2013, 05/29/2013, 06/05/2013, 06/12/2013.
HOWARD MANAGEMENT GROUP (310)869-7901
For Rent S.M. Large (10' W x 25' L x 8' H) enclosed garage, alley access, 17th & S.M. Blvd., $250/mo., Bret (310)994-5202.
Some restrictions may apply.
Prepay your ad today!
LIC# 888736
Beauty HAIRSTYLIST AND MANICURE station for rent Santa Monica. PT/FT (310) 449-1923
YOUR AD COULD RUN TOMORROW!*
(310)
458-7737
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING CONDITIONS: REGULAR RATE: $7.50 a day. Ads over 15 words add 30¢ per word per day. Ad must run a minimum of twelve consecutive days. PREMIUMS: First two words caps no charge. Bold words, italics, centered lines, etc. cost extra. Please call for rates. TYPOS: Check your ad the first day of publication. Sorry, we do not issue credit after an ad has run more than once. DEADLINES: 3:00 p.m. prior the day of publication except for Monday’s paper when the deadline is Friday at 2:30 p.m. PAYMENT: All private party ads must be pre-paid. We accept checks, credit cards, and of course cash. CORRESPONDENCE: To place your ad call our offices 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, (310) 458-7737; send a check or money order with ad copy to The Santa Monica Daily Press, P.O. Box 1380, Santa Monica, CA 90406. OTHER RATES: For information about the professional services directory or classified display ads, please call our office at (310) 458-7737.
HOURS MONDAY - FRIDAY 9:00am - 5:00pm
LOCATION 1640 5th Street, Suite 218, Santa Monica, CA 90401
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2013
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